Archives by Day

As WP's managing editor, I edit review and preview articles, attempt to keep up with the frantic pace of Rainier's news posts, and keep our reviewers on deadline, which is akin to herding cats. When I have a moment to myself and don't have my nose in a book, I like to play action/RPG, adventure and platforming games.

Gunpods, when armed, now light up the armament panel on F-4 cockpit correctly.

Gunpods may now be selectively armed by using Cycle GunGroup command.

Improved propeller engine model has been added.

Landing gears code has been re-worked to be more stable when the aircraft is on the ground. Also, most of the gear data has been adjusted so the gears are compressed more.

Network bandwidth is reduced to make it more 56K modem friendly.

AircraftMission TextureSet number being incorrectly offset by one when reading .msn mission file has been fixed. Mission file may now also specify skin using directory name instead, by adding new line Texture=.

Strike target not getting set correctly when reading .msn mission file has been fixed.

Some sub-title text being scrambled in the French version have been fixed.

Problem of aircraft mission callsign sometimes not being set correctly when reading .msn mission file has been fixed.

Some video card/driver combinations causing "negative" image to be displayed while transitioning to a new menu screen has been fixed.

Problem with menu text font anti-aliasing not working properly on some video/driver has been fixed.

Full-Screen Anti-aliasing not working on some video cards using certain drivers has been fixed.

The game not running properly when installed into a non-standard folder containing "." character in the file path (such as "C:Flight.Sim") has been fixed.

Changes and Fixes v12.25.03

Multiplayer module has been completely re-written to provide more reliable experience over the internet. For best result, please make sure to upgrade your DirectX/DirectPlay to the latest version, and apply the latest service pack to your Windows OS.

Fuel gauge has been added to A-4E cockpit, replacing the secondary engine RPM gauge on the lower left part of of the instrument panel.

Missiles now self-destruct and explode when they miss their target.

Cockpit reflection has been removed from 16-bit rendering mode.

Six new services have been added: Austrian Air Force, Swiss Air Force, Bulgarian Air Force, Hungarian Air Force, Royal Malaysian Air Force, and Republic of Singapore Air Force.

Desert terrain has been flattened out a bit, especially near the coast, to reduce some of the tearing that was visible.

Some of the environmental effects have been enhanced. In particular, specular highlight from the sun has been increased, twilight transition effect have been improved, and the moon has been added to night mission.

User hitting Alt-Tab while connected to a multiplayer game now simply disconnected you from the game instead of causing the multiplayer session to be unstable.

The game no longer utilizes hardware T&L, this should resolve many of the performance issues it had with ATI Radeon graphics cards. If you're using ATI card, we recommend using Catalyst 3.7 or earlier for best result.

Layered water effect has been disabled to allow video cards without z-buffer bias capability to render distant ships at correct height.

When Weapons option is set to Hard, radar-guided missiles are now much less likely to guide toward its target when launched within minimum range, and they are also much more likely to lose track of low-flying target due to ground clutter.

AI landing routine has been tweaked to line-up more straight with the runway.

Mk.20 Rockeye cluster bomb effects has been added. Please note that Rockeye is not available until its 1968 service entry date.

SA-2 Guideline SAM missile now discards its primary booster stage.

Two improved Soviet heat-seeking missiles - AA-2 Atoll-D and AA-8 Aphid-A - have been added. They are only available after their service entry date of 1973 and 1975 in a prolonged campaign.

Maximum number of weapon stations allowed on a single aircraft has been increased from 16 to 32.

Hitting jettision external stores (Ctrl-J) while an air-to-ground weapon is selected no longer causes the game to CTD.

Having add-on weapons on the WeaponData list without having proper 3D graphics model (LOD) files no longer crashes the game. These weapons will be not visible, but will function normally otherwise.

Time-fuzed anti-aircraft ("Flak") effect has been added. 57mm cannons on ZSU-57-2 are equipped with this type of fuze.

Problems with collision box for O-1E and Su-7 have been fixed. Please note that the old decal positions for Su-7 will no longer be correct.

Taking of screenshots is now limited to only once a minute (60 seconds) while playing in a multiplayer session. This is adjustable in host's Options.ini file.

Debriefing for multiplayer co-op mission is now displayed correctly.

Debriefing Screen flickering on some video cards has been fixed.

Game no longer requires separate entry in SoundList.ini for different aircraft engine sounds. Unique sound for each aircraft can now be added by simply specifying their filename in the *_data.ini.

Lobby launched multiplayer game no longer return to Main Menu screen when disconnected, it will now completely exit the application when the game is over.

Ejecting in a multiplayer game will no longer exit to the debriefing.

Multiplayer Dogfight kill record is no longer reset when you press Refly after exiting to debriefing.

F-4E's Radar Warning Reciever now works correctly in multiplayer games.

Multiplayer Dogfight host not seeing airfields and other ground objects is fixed.

Multiplayer notes section of this Readme.txt has been edited to include the maximum number of player (-m) and password (-p) options. And the default max player, if this parameter is not specified, has been changed from 0 to 16.

Bomb-bay door opening/closing animation has been added to the bombers. Player controlling a bomber must now open bomb-bay doors (ctrl-O) before
bombs can be released.

Bombs and rockets can now leave craters upon impacting the ground.

Campaign supply logic has been changed to make weapons more readily available.

Campaign engine not upgrading the player aircraft correctly has been fixed.

Attitude indicator for F-100 and F-104 showing incorrect reading when the aircraft is in inverted attitude has been fixed.

The following changes were made to the external views: Tower view (F11) have been fixed. View positions for Shoulder view (F5) and Weapons view (F9) have been moved back to better show the view object. Fly-by view (F10) and Tower view have been changed to allow cycling through all other aircraft. And many of the external views have been changed to remain after the target is destroyed to show the explosion.

Problem assigning key command on certain Saitek controllers has been fixed. Please note that the Mode switch does not work with the game. The Mode switch button can still be used as a regular button, however.

Keyboard command remapping screen has been fixed to accept ALT, SHIFT, and CTRL modifiers correctly. The new screen also allows assignment of
joystick POV hat switch to any command.

Native support for NaturalPoint trackIR GX has been added. Please visittheir website at http://games.naturalpoint.com to download the interface program (at least v1.30 is required). You must have NaturalPoint software open before starting Strike Fighters to use this feature.

All new set of special effects, produced by Scott Gentile exclusively for Strike Fighters, has been added.

Padlock key now toggles correctly even after using a snap view key.

Snap View Up key (keypad 5) may be combined with other snap view keys to give intermediate look up view in any direction.

AI wingmen will now jettison air-to-ground ordnances when engaging in a dogfight.

RWR display (available only in F-4E cockpit) works correctly now.

Roll rate has been increased for all aircraft.

Debriefing Log no longer groups multiple cannon hits into a single line entry; each individual cannon hit is now recorded separately.

Debriefing Log now shows correct number of rounds fired from multiple cannons.

Exiting a Dogfight multiplayer game now shows a more detailed debriefing.

The wait time for client launch in the GameSpy Arcade has been increased.

AAA and SAM units now show up properly.

Skip to next encounter (Alt-N) always returning "Enemies are near!" bug is fixed.

Aircraft upgrade text now shows up on the Campaign debriefing screen.

Mercenary campaign now saves the available funds correctly.

Mercenary campaign no longer receives automatic aircraft upgrades; you now must purchase your new aircraft on the loadout screen instead.

Loadout menu flickering on some video cards has been fixed.

Campaign start screen crashing to desktop on some sound cards has been fixed.

VMFA-531 campaign erroneously "upgrading" to F-100D has been fixed (already affected campaign must be restarted from the beginning).

Menu music volume no longer returns to default setting after exiting flight.

MiG-17F having incorrect engine thrust value has been fixed.

All rocket pods are now aligned better with A2G gunsight.

A-4B/C/E 3D external models with misplaced polygon on the fuselage have been fixed.

Aileron response to input has been improved for all aircraft.

2. Multiplayer Notes

* The manual is out of date regarding how to connect through GameSpy. You now must connect externally through GameSpy Arcade. The Strike Fighters installer should have installed the GameSpy Arcade program. If not, the latest version can be downloaded from here: http://www.gamespy.com

* Different versions of the game are incompatible in multiplayer play, so please be sure that everyone has upgraded the game to the same version. The patch to the latest version should be downloaded automatically whenever you connect through the GameSpy Arcade.

* New network module relies on DirectX/DirectPlay, and you must have the same or higher version of DirectPlay to connect to a host. If you're having problem connecting to a host, check to make sure the latest version of DirectX is installed on your system. Also, please check to make sure your Windows is up to date by checking Windows update page. Different level of Windows service pack may create incompatibile DirectPlay sessions.

* Strike Fighters allows you to customize data. For multiplayer sessions, various security checks are implemented to prevent players from playing using data sets that are different from other players.

Whenever possible, the host machine automatically transfers the latest data if any discrepancies are found between players' data sets. However, due to the file size, not all data can be transferred by the game. When data files are found to be incompatible, that player is prevented from playing the game until he or she exits and installs the same data as the one used by the host. However, even without the latest data set, that player can still join any session and chat.

For Dogfight Mode, incompatible data only affects the player with the different data set; the host can still launch the game normally. The data check is done in the Hangar screen, and the FLY button is simply disabled for the player who has data incompatible with that of the host.

For Co-op Mode, the data check is performed in the Co-op Mission player assignment screen. If a player has incompatible data, he or she cannot select flight assignments. This prevents the host from launching the game, since all players must be assigned before the host can launch a cooperative mission.

If you are unable to play due to incompatible data sets, chat with the host to see what data he or she has. Try to obtain the same data to make your game compatible. The following section summarizes what data files are checked and transferred by the game, and what must be downloaded and installed before you can play in a multiplayer session:

(1) You must have all of the same aircraft that are installed on the host machine. If you are missing any aircraft installed on the host system, you cannot play. Note, however, that you can have additional aircraft installed on your system without experiencing any problems; your custom aircraft simply won't appear in the aircraft selection drop-down menu.

(2) Data files can be different, as long as the host and all players have the same aircraft installed. For aircraft already installed on your machine, key aircraft data are checked (such as the flight model and damage model data). If any differences exist, the host automatically transfers data to your system.

(3) Both you and the host must have the current terrain data installed. If the terrain currently in use is not installed, or the host or you have different terrain files, you are prevented from playing. Like aircraft, you may have additional, unused terrains installed without any problems.

* The host controls all Gameplay options for a multiplayer session. However, you can set your own Graphics, Sound, and Control options. The only exception is the Terrain Mesh Detail option in the Graphics section. In multiplayer mode, this is always set to LOW.

* In Co-op missions once the host accepts the players' flight assignments, the session is closed. No other player can join. Private Dogfight session via GameSpy is also closed once it is launched. In contrast, Public Dogfight mode always remains open, and players may join games in progress at any time.

* You may experience problems connecting if you are behind a firewall and/or NAT proxy.

* Direct TCP/IP connections are not supported by the in-game user interface, and it is recommended that you connect on the Internet through a match-making service such as GameSpy. You may, however, still connect directly through TCP/IP by typing the following from the command line:

>FlightSim -join:[xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx] -n:[callsign] -c:[c] -p:[password]

where [xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx] is the IP address of the game to join, [callsign] is your callsign, and [c] is an optional number 0-15 representing your color.
[password] is an optional password required to join private
session.

Host can start the session normally, or it can also start using the following command line:

where [sessionname] is the name of the game session, and
[g] is the game type (0 = dogfight, 1 = co-op)
[m] is the maximum number of player, default is 16.
[callsign] is your callsign, and
[c] is an optional number 0-15 representing your color.
[password] is an optional password; the session will be private
(and only those with correct password can join) if
this parameter is present, and public (and anyone can
join) if this is not.

Sample DOS batch files for starting and joining TCP/IP sessions have
been included in the patch. They can be found in the Strike Fighters
directory, and they can be edited by any text editor (such as notepad).

3. Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting Tips

Before installing the game, please try the following:

Close all other applications.

Verify that your system meets the minimum system requirements.

If you are experiencing difficulties in getting the game to run, please try the following solutions:

Obtain the latest drivers for your video and sound card.

Obtain the latest version of Direct X from: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx

For all other comments or suggestions, you can contact us by sending an e-mail to: info@thirdwire.com.com

5. Manual Erratum

Hitting the Accept button on the Single Mission Screen does not prompt user for a unique name; you are only prompted to enter a name after hitting the Accept button on the Campaign Screen.

Easy Ammo usage setting: Only gun rounds are available in infinite numbers. Missiles, bombs and rockets are still limited.

Autopilot does not disengage on mouse movement as stated in the manual; it disengages on flight controller input (may it be joystick, keyboard,
or mouse) instead.

The Waypoint cycle commands (W and Shift-W) only work with navigational waypoints, and does not work on any of the take-off or landing waypoints. When starting a mission on the ground, you must reach the first waypoint (or press Alt-N) before you can use these commands to cycle waypoints normally.

Gun Group Cycling keys described in the manual are not mapped to the [ and shift-] keys as described in the manual. These keys are remapped to the Ripple interval commands instead.

AIM-7 missile in Easy Weapons setting does not lose track of their target even if the radar lock is lost.

In Easy Weapons setting, missiles may home in on any target, air or ground, regardless of the actual missile type.

None of the aircraft modeled in the game carry countermeasures systems (such as Flares, chaff or ECM).

The RWR display act as a second radar screen when the Radar Display option is set to Easy.

Medal record is not available in the Pilot record screen.

Cockpit Reflection is available only in 32-bit color mode display.

6. Known Issues

The Shift-Insert key (attempt to acquire current visual target on radar) only works when radar display options are set to Easy.

Drag chutes is not implemented.

Automatic Action Camera (F12) is not implemented.

The Ctrl-W key (set selected waypoint as visual target) is not implemented.